This invention relates generally to refrigeration systems. In particular, it is concerned with utilizing the heat which is normally rejected from an air conditioner system and controllably transferring it to a body of water such as a swimming pool.
The use of heaters to warm the water of a swimming pool is quite common among all swimming pool owners. Many existing systems use electric, gas or fuel oil heating units which are costly to operate.
Some types of pool heaters are particularly costly in terms of energy consumption, and for this reason some states have recently taken legislative action to prevent the use of pool heaters which consume gas and oil. Thus, the need for safe, economical and low energy-consuming pool heating systems is quite great.
Swimming pools have been heated in the past by utilizing the rejected heat from an air conditioning unit. However, such prior art systems have generally been unsatisfactory to properly control the system to maintain a substantially constant temperature of the water. Where there is no control or inadequate control, the amount of heat rejected from an average home air conditioning unit (21/2 to 31/2 ton capacity) will increase the pool temperature much above a desired point (usually 78.degree.-86.degree.) for comfortable swimming.
Some systems proposed, in order to maintain the constant temperature of the water, use thermostatic controls which cycle the home air conditioning unit off and on responsive to the temperature of the water, thereby controlling the amount of heat transferred to the water. Such units, however, can fail to adequately cool the house since the house thermostat is overridden by the thermostatic control responsive to the temperature of the pool water.